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Introduction: Heparin‐induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a prothrombotic disorder that occurs following the administration of heparin and is caused by antibodies to platelet factor 4 and heparin. Diagnosis of HIT is essential to guide treatment strategies using non‐heparin anticoagulants and to avoid unwanted and potential fatal thromboembolic complications. This consensus statement, formulated by members of the Thrombosis and Haemostasis Society of Australia and New Zealand, provides an update on HIT pathogenesis and guidance on the diagnosis and management of patients with suspected or confirmed HIT.
Main recommendations:
Changes in management as a result of this statement:
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Anoop Enjeti has received speaker fees from Bayer and Sanofi Aventis outside the submitted work. Simon McRae has received research funding from CSL and Roche outside the submitted work. Chee Wee Tan has received non‐financial support from Bayer Health and speaker fees from Pfizer outside the submitted work. Christopher Ward has received personal fees and non‐financial support from Aspen, personal fees from Instrumentation Laboratory (Werfen) and personal fees from Sanofi during the preparation of this consensus statement.
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No relevant disclosures.
Engaging migrant communities and health professionals is critical for addressing disparities in preventable stillbirth
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We acknowledge the support of the Victorian Government's Operational Infrastructure Support Program. Jane Yelland is supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Translating Research into Practice Fellowship (2018–2019). Stephanie Brown is supported by an NHMRC Senior Research Fellowship (2016–2020).
No relevant disclosures.
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Christopher McMahon is a paid investigator, member of an advisory board and speaker's panel for Pfizer, Eli Lilly and Menarini.
Pertussis and influenza vaccinations should be incorporated into antenatal care and accurately documented
Vaccination of pregnant women protects them against influenza and pertussis, and also delivers protective antibody to their fetus, protecting infants when they are at the highest risk of life‐threatening disease but are too young to be vaccinated.1
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Helen Marshall is an investigator in clinical vaccine trials sponsored by pharmaceutical companies, but receives no personal payments from these companies. Her institution receives funding for investigator‐led studies from GSK, Pfizer, and Sanofi–Pasteur. Helen Marshall is a member of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI), but this Editorial reflects her personal views and not those of ATAGI.
Should doctors fear legal sanction for using opioids at the end of life?
A perfect storm arises from a rare confluence of adverse meteorological factors, and is a metaphor for an especially bad situation caused by a combination of unfavourable circumstances (www.oed.com). Health care at the end of life has been significantly disturbed by two converging fronts. The first is very public conversations relating to opioid overuse. The second is the current tension between standard end‐of‐life care and voluntary assisted suicide.
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This study was funded through the National Health and Medical Research Council (APP1061254).
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Objective: To estimate rates of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)‐associated hospitalisation across the age spectrum, and to identify groups at particular risk of serious RSV‐associated disease.
Design, setting and participants: Retrospective review of National Hospital Morbidity Database data for all RSV‐associated hospitalisations in Australia, 2006–2015.
Main outcomes and measures: RSV‐coded hospitalisation rates by age, sex, Indigenous status, jurisdiction, and seasonality (month and year); hospital length of stay; in‐hospital deaths.
Results: During 2006–2015, there were 63 814 hospitalisations with an RSV‐specific principal diagnostic code; 60 551 (94.9%) were of children under 5 years of age. The hospitalisation rate for children under 5 years was 418 per 100 000 population; for children under 6 months of age it was 2224 per 100 000 population; the highest rate was for infants aged 0–2 months (2778 per 100 000 population). RSV‐coded hospitalisation rates were higher for adults aged 65 or more than for people aged 5–64 years (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 6.6; 95% CI, 6.2–7.1), and were also higher for Indigenous Australians than other Australians (IRR, 3.3; 95% CI, 3.2–3.5). A total of 138 in‐hospital deaths were recorded, including 82 of adults aged 65 years or more (59%).
Conclusions: Prevention strategies targeting infants, such as maternal or early infant vaccination, would probably have the greatest impact in reducing RSV disease rates. Further characterisation of RSV disease epidemiology, particularly in older adults and Indigenous Australians, is needed to inform health care strategies.
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This study formed part of Gemma Saravanos’ doctoral research at the University of Sydney Children's Hospital at Westmead Clinical School, funded by a University of Sydney Postgraduate Award and supported by the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS). Nicholas Wood is supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council Career Development Fellowship. We acknowledge the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare for providing the hospitalisation data.
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The uncoupling of health care from aged care is a worrying trend
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Introduction: Individuals with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection or past exposure to HBV infection have a substantial risk of reactivation during immunosuppressive cancer therapy. HBV reactivation can lead to liver failure, cancer treatment interruption or death. Clinical concordance with screening and treatment guidelines is inconsistent in practice, and existing international guidelines are not specific to the Australian context. We developed an Australian consensus statement with infectious diseases, hepatology, haematology and oncology specialists to inform hepatitis B screening and antiviral management for immunocompromised patients with haematological and solid organ malignancies in Australia.
Main recommendations: Recommendations address four key areas of HBV infection management for immunocompromised patients with haematological and solid organ malignancies: who to test for HBV infection, when to start antiviral agents, when to stop antiviral agents, and how to monitor patients during cancer therapy. We recommend testing all patients undergoing cancer treatment for hepatitis B (including HBV surface antigen [HBsAg], HBV core antibody [anti‐HBc], and HBV surface antibody) before cancer treatment. Individuals with chronic HBV infection (HBsAg positive) or past exposure (HBsAg negative and anti‐HBc positive) receiving higher risk chemotherapy require antiviral prophylaxis using entecavir or tenofovir.
Changes in management as a result of this statement: This consensus statement will simplify the approach to testing and prophylaxis for HBV infection during cancer therapy, and harmonise approaches to discontinuing and monitoring individuals which have been highly variable in practice. We advocate for broader Medicare Benefits Schedule and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme access to HBV testing and treatment for patients undergoing cancer therapy.
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This document was produced independently from industry funding, with support from a competitive funding grant from the Western and Central Melbourne Integrated Cancer Service. Joseph Doyle receives unrelated investigator‐initiated research grants to his institution from Gilead Sciences, AbbVie, Merck/MSD, and Bristol Myers Squibb; received honoraria to his institution for speaking from Gilead Sciences, Merck/MSD, Bristol Myers Squibb, and AbbVie. Simone Strasser received honoraria for advisory boards and speaking from Gilead Sciences, Bristol‐Myers Squibb, AbbVie, MSD, Norgine, Bayer, Eisai, Ipsen, Pfizer, Astellas and Novartis. Joseph Sasadeusz receives research grants from Gilead Sciences. Anna Johnston received honoraria for advisory boards from Roche, Janssen and MSD; and received financial support to attend an education meeting from Roche. Narin Bak receives research grants to his institution from Gilead Sciences for chronic hepatititis B research. Alexander Thompson received research grant support from Gilead Sciences and AbbVie; is a consultant/advisor to Gilead Sciences, AbbVie, BMS, Merck/MSD, Eisai and Bayer; and received honoraria for speaking from Gilead Sciences, AbbVie, Merck/MSD, Bristol‐Myers Squibb and Eli Lilly.
Summary